1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a processing apparatus and, more particularly, is applicable to a processing apparatus used to edit images.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of processing apparatus is conventionally used for various purposes for processing images such as edition of images, transmission of broadcast, and copying. The processing apparatus forms and outputs the video information signal which is processed by processing the input video information signal in accordance with a predetermined processing procedure.
That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a controller 3 reading an initialization program output from a ROM (read only memory) 2 executes a setting procedure according to the program when a processing apparatus 1 is started so as to display predetermined functional items and setting contents on the screen of a display 4. Moreover, a reproducer 5 outputs a video information signal to be image-processed to the controller 3 and also outputs the signal to a monitor (not illustrated) connected to the reproducer 5 so as to display an image on the monitor.
An operator confirms a portion to be image-processed of the image displayed on the monitor (not illustrated) by observing the image and selects a desired image processing function out of the predetermined functional items displayed on the screen of the display 4 to operate an input unit (hereafter referred to as operation keys) 6. The operation keys 6 output a command signal corresponding to the selected image processing function to the controller 3 by being pressed by the operator.
Moreover, the controller 3 inputs the command signal output from the operation keys 6, image-processes a video information signal input from the reproducer 5 by the image processing function corresponding to the input command signal, and outputs the image-processed signal to a recorder 7. The recorder 7 records the image-processed video information signal output from the controller 3. Here, whenever receiving the command signal, the controller 3 reads an image processing function processing procedure corresponding to the command from the ROM 2.
Thus, the processing apparatus 1 image-processes the input video information signal by an image processing function desired by the operator and records the image-processed video information signal by the recorder 7.
In this type of processing apparatus 1, functions to be used depend on the purpose. For example, the operation requiring fine edition in image edition uses a lot of functions but a simple edition uses a small number of functions. Therefore, a small number of operation keys 6 are enough for practical use in a simple edition. Moreover, functions used for edition are hardly used for other image processing (e.g. transmission of broadcast) but operation is executed by using other functions (e.g. switcher) instead.
That is, a lot of functions for editing an image are unnecessary for simple edition or transmission of broadcast. However, these unnecessary operation keys 6 are adjacent to other operation keys 6 used for operations. Therefore, if the operator erroneously presses one of these unnecessary keys, the image processing function corresponding to the key is executed. Thus, the unnecessary operation keys 6 cause the operator to perform erroneous operations. Moreover, in general, respective functions have setting contents for regulating the functions, the change of the setting contents according to environment for executing the functions (characteristics of input signal, type of tape for editing and purpose of edition, etc.) is necessary.
For this reason, in this type of processing apparatus 1, it is possible to change the corresponding relations between each image processing function and each operation key 6 and delete unnecessary functions by changing pieces of setting information (hereafter referred to as corresponding information) showing which image processing function is assigned to which operation key 6 or what about setting contents of respective image processing functions in accordance with the instruction input by the operator. In this connection, a changed piece of corresponding information is stored in a storage circuit (not illustrated) in the processing apparatus.
Thus, the processing apparatus 1 allows an operator to assign each image processing function to each operation key 6 so that the operator easily performs operations by changing pieces of corresponding information in accordance with the purpose. Thereby, the processing apparatus 1 allows the operator to perform image processing by easy operations and makes it possible to prevent erroneous operations.
However, the processing apparatus 1 comprising the above structure has the problem that a piece of corresponding information set by an operator can be stored only in the processing apparatus. That is, the correspondence between each image processing function and each operation key 6 set by a processing apparatus is inherent in the processing apparatus.
An operator changes a piece of corresponding information which is able to be combined in various ways into a combination decided as being suitable to perform an operation. Therefore, when the image processing is tried to continue by using another processing apparatus, after the image processing is performed by a processing apparatus up to the middle, in case the image processing has been already used for another purpose or used by another operator, piece of corresponding information is not generally a combination decided as being suitable in an image processing to be continued. Therefore, the former processing apparatus is different from the latter processing apparatus in the image processing function and the setting contents corresponding to each operation key 6 and it is difficult for the operator having been operating the former processing apparatus to operate the latter processing apparatus.
Thus, because each processing apparatus is set so that an operator operating the processing apparatus can easily operate the processing apparatus, the operating method of each processing apparatus is not compatible.
For this reason, when an operator having been operating a processing apparatus operates another processing apparatus, the operator has to change pieces of corresponding information in order to operate the latter processing apparatus by the same operating method as that of the former processing apparatus. However, changing pieces of corresponding information whenever changing processing apparatuses makes operations troublesome, and resultingly, causes the operator to perform erroneous operations and decreases the operation efficiency.